Stand arms length away from a wall and with feet shoulder width apart.1 in 5 Australians experience chronic pain at some stage in their lives, and it is estimated that chronic pain is the third most costly health problem in Australia.
Chronic pain is long-lasting, ongoing pain that doesnb t go away and affects the quality of life of those affected. It is estimated that 60-83% of Australian aged care residents are affected. Alarmingly, chronic pain is often seen as b normalb part of ageing. It isnb t!
Chiropractors play a critical role in assisting people to live with chronic pain. Chiropractors work across the lifespan continuum assisting patients with their pain with the aim of;
Diminishing painTypes of pain
Acute pain is generally accepted to be the pain associated with acute tissue damage. The damage may be due to an event such as an injury or surgery or an active disease process within the tissues. The pain is considered to be driven by peripheral factors responding to the tissue event. As tissue structure is re-established, the inflammation process resolves and tissue healing takes place, pain will also resolve. Pain in this situation provides an effective warning system, protecting vulnerable tissue, and is a symptom related to a distinct pathological condition or surgical procedure. When pain does not resolve it is relabelled persistent pain, or chronic pain. Pain lasting for longer than three months can be classified as chronic pain.
Sometimes, after the original source of pain is healed or no longer present, chronic pain patients may continue to feel pain. This can also lead to reduced mood or even depression and avoidance or fear of normal movement and activities. This can then lead to more pain.B Pain that becomes chronic is often linked to changes in the nervous system, when tissues become highly sensitised, creating abnormal pain responses. Patients move less, or move in ways to protect themselves from more damage.
Where Chiropractic can help
Chiropractic treatment for chronic pain has a focus on empowering people to manage their conditions.
Our health is inextricably connected to our happiness. And vice versa.
Those two things come in many ways, shapes and forms, but stripped down to its simplest form, what most of us really want out of life is to be happy and healthy.
Indulge in a little self-care: Our minds are running 24/7, so put down the technology and indulge in something that allows you to relax and let your mind go. Choose something that’s right for you b it might be meditation, hiking, a long hot bath with a gossip magazine b whatever just helps you let your mind go.
Ninety-two percent of Australian children aged 5-14 years use information and communication technologies including computers, iPads and Smart phones, with increased use correlated with higher age. 87% of boys and 80% of girls regularly participate in electronic screen-based activities.
As a result of this increased usage, Chiropractors are treating more young patients suffering from unhealthy tech behaviours, which can include frequent and long durations of exposure; awkward postures due to inappropriate furniture or computer workstation layout, and ignoring tech-related discomfort.B Many children are already suffering from repetitive motion injuries such as carpal tunnel syndrome and chronic pain in the hands, back, neck and shoulders.
Emphasis needs to be placed on teaching children how to properly use hand held devices, laptops and PC’s. Poor work habits and computer workstations that don’t fit a child’s body during the developing years can have harmful physical effects that can last a lifetime. Parents need to be just as concerned about their children’s posturing during the use of these devices as they are with any activities that may affect their children’s long-term health. To reduce the possibility of your child suffering painful and possibly disabling injuries, Chiropractors suggest the following tips:
Additionally, postural abnormalities in adolescent years have been recognised as one of the sources of pain syndromes and early arthritis in adulthood. Therefore, posture should be checked and corrected in children before more serious problems can occur.
Daily physical activity is vital for all Australian children and young people. Children and young people who accumulate the minimum amount of physical activity every day are at a lower risk of conditions including overweight or obesity, Type II diabetes, metabolic syndrome and other comorbidities, are more likely to see improvements in their aerobic fitness and bone health and experience positive mental health benefits. Despite these obvious health benefits, only 19% of Australian children and young people, aged 5-17 years meet the physical activity recommendations.
Physical activities that strengthen muscles and bones should be included on at least three days per week. For additional health benefits, children and young people should engage in more physical activity up to several hours every day.
Donb t let that sudden nip in the air put your workout plans into hibernation. Instead take your exercise routine inside. Youb ll find a substitute for almost every outdoor exercise activity. If you love to swim outdoors during the summer, move your laps into an indoor pool.
Do you treasure summer afternoons biking around the park? During autumn, maintain your fitness levels on a stationary bike until the weather warms up again. Moving into the gym can provide a great opportunity to mix up your training routine. Make use of the wide range of equipment in a gym and include weights as well as cardio into your plan.
Golf and chiropractic are a natural fit. For years, golf back pain has been accepted by golfers as some kind of badge of honour. But now golfers everywhere are beginning to realize the benefits of having regular chiropractic treatment to treat their golf back pain.
Swinging a driver or three iron at speeds of up to 80kms/hr while turning, twisting and pulling can be extremely traumatic to the entire torso let alone just the lower back.
The golf swing isn’t the only aspect of playing the sport that causes golf back pain. There is a lot of walking in golf. In addition at other times you have to swing and torque your body while positioning yourself on unstable surfaces like hills, tree roots, or sand. Also there is a lot of standing around in golf, and when someone stands they usually shift weight to one side of their body. This tends to tighten muscles on one side while relaxing muscles on the other side. Next, the player moves to the tee box and soon starts swinging away again, causing trauma to both sides. Once he finally makes his way to the green he is then bent over lining up and standing awkwardly over the ball while trying to sink a putt.
When a player experiences back pain during a round of golf, their scores suffer and their enjoyment is taken away from the game. Back, neck, shoulder and elbow pain will sabotage any golf swing and ruin the golf experience. Regular chiropractic treatments not only accomplish the goal of injury treatment and prevention, they can greatly improve a player’s game and score.B Healthy, strong, and loose backs perform better on the golf course
There are a number of ways a golf chiropractor can treat the golfer and enhance his golf experience, including:
Spine, neck and shoulder adjustmentsGolfers rarely consider the damage that the sportb s repetitive, torqueing movements inflict on their backs, necks and shoulders.B Neither are most recreational golfers proactive about preventing injury to these areas and improve performance.B While many golfers now see a Chiropractor after injury, some are discovering that seeing a chiropractor before injury is the key to playing round after round without pain.
A Chiropractor can give you with proactive treatment, strategies and advice that can serve as the foundation for realizing your full potential on the golf course while offering the opportunity of playing your best golf safely and injury-free for an entire lifetime.